Boris Johnson freezes council tax... his portion of it

The Mayor today froze his share of council tax bills in a move that he said would protect struggling households against the rising cost of living.

Boris Johnson announced he would hold the level of the "precept" — which funds Transport for London, the fire authority and the Met Police — for the third year running in 2011/2012.

He was able to make the pledge after receiving a £23 million "reward" for cost savings from the Government.

Ministers have offered local authorities the equivalent of 2.5 per cent of their council tax take as an incentive not to put up taxes.

The move means Londoners will continue to pay £309.82 a year for a band D property next year rather than facing increases.

Today the Mayor told the London Assembly: "With the new coalition government's drive to reduce the country's budget deficit and everyone feeling the squeeze, it is essential that as the guardian of this great city, I do all I can to protect the families and people of London from too heavy a tax burden.

"I am committed to delivering more bang for a buck whilst still maintaining frontline services, delivering vital transport improvements and providing opportunities for young Londoners." However, the precept only makes up a fraction over the overall council tax burden for Londoners, which this year stands at an average of £1,309 for a Band D property.

Some had expected the precept to go up to help maintain key public services such as neighbourhood policing and the Tube upgrade.

The Government awarded the Greater London Authority £23.3 million as an incentive to freeze its share of council tax for a further year. City Hall insiders claimed the cash was a reward for Mr Johnson's "sensible savings" and careful financial planning over the past two years. He has delivered more than £2 billion "efficiency savings" across his GLA empire since he took power and there are more in the pipeline.

Mr Johnson's predecessor, Ken Livingstone, put up his share of council tax in each of his eight years in power.